General Motors unveils new corporate logo made to look like an electrical plug as Detroit automaker vows to take on rival Tesla by rolling out 30 new battery-powered cars by end of 2025

General Motors is changing its corporate logo and launching an electric vehicle marketing campaign to reshape its image as clean vehicle company, rather than a builder of gas-powered pickups and SUVs.

Since 1964, GM has used a variation of a logo that featured the company initials inside a blue box. 

This year, GM decided it is scrapping its old square blue logo and replacing it with a lower case gm surrounded by rounded corners. 

The company says it's the biggest change to its logo since 1964. The 'm' in the logo is underlined to look more like an electrical plug. 

The 112-year-old Detroit automaker has promised to roll out 30 new battery-powered vehicles globally by the end of 2025 and said Friday that the new campaign will highlight its progressive vision for the future.

GM said the industry has reached a history-changing inflection point for mass adoption of electric vehicles.

The campaign comes as stock market investors are enthralled with companies that make electric vehicles. 

This image provided by General Motors shows the new company logo. General Motors is changing its corporate logo and starting an electric vehicle marketing campaign as it tries to refurbish its image from a maker of gas-powered pickups and SUVs to a clean vehicle company

The new logo replaces the logo that was used by the company since 2010

The GM logo used from 2001 until 2010 is seen left. The logos that were previously used by GM were a variation of the logo seen on the right that was first introduced in 1964

The above logo was used by General Motors from 1938 until 1964

The 112-year-old Detroit automaker's original logo is seen in the above photo

Shares of global EV leader Tesla have skyrocketed more than 800 per cent in the past year, and the company's market value has passed $800 billion. 

GM's shares are only up slightly in the past year and its value is around $61 billion.

Shares of GM were down 1.6 per cent to $42.61 in Friday afternoon trading.

'We felt it was just such a transformative moment that this is the time that we would change again,' said Deborah Wahl, GM global chief marketing officer. 

'Our message here is that we believe there should be an EV for everyone.'

GM is hoping the 'Everybody In' campaign prepares buyers for a new era of vehicle propulsion.

Wahl said the marketing campaign will be 'very significant,' but she wouldn't say how much money would be spent or where it will show up. 

'You will see it in many places throughout the year,' she said Friday. 

The company unveiled a new marketing campaign featuring celebrities including Malcom Gladwell , author of The Tipping Point. Surfer Bethany Hamilton is also featured in the campaign, which is titled 'Everybody In'

The marketing campaign touts the Ultium battery. It will range from 50 to 200 kWh, which could enable a range of up to 400 miles on more on a single charge and also make the vehicle capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in as little as three seconds

She said the campaign will start in the United States but eventually will become global. It will not be in brand ads for vehicles, Wahl said.

Late last year, GM said it was nearing a battery chemistry breakthrough that will make electric vehicles as affordable as those with internal combustion engines in less than five years. 

Some will be able to go up to 450 miles per charge and from zero to 60 mph in as quickly as three seconds.

The company has promised to spend $27billion on battery vehicles through 2025.

The new logo will go wherever GM now has a logo, including websites and buildings, Wahl said.

The company stopped putting the logo on car bodies about a decade ago as it started to emphasize individual brands. 

Last year, General Motors introduced a new battery-powered Hummer pickup that's set to hit showrooms in 2021. The company vows to roll out dozens of affordable electric vehicles in the next few years. The new electric Hummer is expected to cost $112,000 apiece

But GM says the new logo eventually will replace the old one on window glass and some other parts.

The marketing campaign will feature celebrities including Malcom Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point.

A campaign of 'Everyone In' conflicts a bit with GM's announced plans for electric vehicles such as a GMC Hummer pickup and Cadillac Lyriq SUV, both higher-priced vehicles. 

The sleek 'supertruck' Hummer will cost $112,000 per vehicle. 

But Wahl said lower priced vehicles are among the 30 new electric vehicles that are coming.

GM officials have said previously that they will have a small electric SUV that will cost less than $30,000 within five years.

The campaign will run ahead of current electric vehicle sales trends in the U.S. Last year automakers sold just over 260,000 fully electric vehicles. 

Although sales were up nearly 10 per cent over 2019, electric vehicles still were less than 2 per cent of new vehicle sales.